June 16, 2007
They say that the two happiest days of a boat owners life are the day they buy the boat and the day they sell the boat. I definitely agree with the first part of the sentence, but maybe not the second half...
Salacia has been sold and has a new family that I'm sure is going to take great care of her. They are local so maybe I'll even see here on the water.
My thanks to Jim Allen at Vela Yacht Sales for handling the brokerage process so professionally.
Good-bye Salacia, you took great care of us. Take just as good care of your new family.
April 25, 2007, Victoria, BC
Well, it was a tough decision but we have decided it is best to put Salacia for sale. Our plans are to stay on shore for a few years and then cruise from the East coast next time. Buying a boat on the other coast is more logical than taking Salacia all the way around.
It's hard to see her go but I know that she'll take great care of her next owners.
If you are in the market for a fantastic cruising yacht this may be a good opportunity for you. You can see her listing by visiting Vela Yachts at Oak Bay Marina.
March 24, 2007, Victoria, Canada
Well, it was a great trip but it's also great to be back home. The trip home was not without excitement, but I made it. I've uploaded the photos and videos from the trip. Enjoy!
If you are thinking of visiting Guatemala do it now before everyone else finds out about it. You'll find friendly people and stunning scenery.
March 20, 2007, Flores, Guatemala
Tonight we´re staying on a little island in a lake. The town is called Flores. It´s very nice and very small. I just finished swimming in the lake with a couple of backpackers and a couple from Colorado. The locals said don´t swim in the lake but we are not sure why. Maybe crocs, or maybe the lake is actually for the sewage! Either could be true. But, we lived and my insides haven´t turned to liquid yet.
The last couple of nights we have been in Tikal. Tikal is a huge national park and the site of the largest yet discovered Mayan city. It was really awe inspiring. The huge pyramids are partially restored and tower above the dense jungle below. Once you make it to the top you see nothing but the canopy below with a few ruins poking into the sun. Birds are everywhere - parrots, toucans, and may others that I don´t know what to call. Besides birds, there are lots of monkeys swinging from tree to tree. But, these monkeys have a dark side! If you get to close they will chuck shit at you! I kept a hat on!
We stayed at a small lodge type hotel in the park called the Jungle Lodge. It lives up to its name. It's rustic but quite nice in a safari kind of way. Being totally surrounded by the jungle at night is amazing. The darker it gets, the louder it gets. The first night a troop of howler monkeys spent the night in the tree in front. At the sun started to come up they started really howling! The noise is deafening and like nothing I have heard before. It is not a howl but a blood curdling, unearthly sound that I can´t even describe. The first time I heard it I almost jumped out of my skin. Once the started there was no chance to sleep anymore. The park, the ruins, the monkeys, and the birds were an amazing experience.
Now, I´m making my way back home! Tomorrow I fly back to Guatemala city and spend one more night in Antigua, about 45 minutes from the airport. On the 22nd I´ll be up at 3am to catch a bus for the long jouney home.
It´s been great down here but I´m really looking forward to getting home and seeing Dee and all my hard working friends! Jeff, did you get me a hockey ticket yet? See you all soon.
March 17, 2007, Antigua, Guatemala
Wow, has it ever been fun to hang out here in Guatemala. We are still here in Antigua and really loving it. The town itself is old and almost looks like they got a special decorator in for old towns. The food is great, the prices are cheap, and there is lots of great markets and stuff.
Yesterday, I went up a nearby erupting volcana called Pacaya. It was a WOW experience and ranks up there with something to cross of the life-list. About 2pm I left with about 50 others on a school bus for a 2 hour trip to the volcano. The bus was full of backpackers and I think I was probably the oldest on the bus. People were literally from every country from the world.
We wound up a dirt road for ages going through hairpin corner after hairpin. Finally we stopped at a very dusty village at the 1700m level. The bus was instantly surrounded by hordes of little kids selling walking sticks. I didn´t really want one but bought one anyway (70c) just to help the local economy.
Ahead of us was an additional 800m vertical on foot. It was a tough 1.5 hour climb. We were promised great views of the lava. How great it was actually to be I couldn´t imagine! I did hear that the volcano was currently erupting. So, off we went up the mountain. Of course, being competitve I had to be up at the front of the pack. The climb was very tough since the trail was always steep and since we were already starting at over a mile high!
Eventually we came out of the jungle and could see the barren and blackened smoldering peak of the volcono. Off to one side we could see the glow of a lava flow even though it was still light. We started climbing over the black lava following a poorly marked trail. This is where it gets different from visiting a volcano back home - this lava was still very hot.
As we climbed higher every once in a while we would be hit by a blast of blazing hot air coming up through the rocks. It was so hot, in fact, that when some sticks were dropped in a particularly hot spot they caught on fire! Holy shit!
Eventually the trail ended and we could see lava flowing down towards us only a couple of hundreds yards away. It was quite steep so every few minutes a bunch of the sluggish lava would break away and red hot rocks the size of a VW would come tumbling down the mountain. It was absolutely incredible.
A few of us were inching closer and the guide didn´t seem to care to we used our 70c sticks to carefully test for hot spots as we inched our way closer to the molten lava. The hardened lava on the surface was not solid and instead was boulders of all shapes and sizes. They were razor sharp and very light so would shift underneath you. A couple guys ended up with wicked scrapes!
Eventually we made our way right over to the lava! I can´t even describe what this was like. Right above us on the hill a huge red flow slowly made its way to us. After each step we looked up to see if we had to dodge boulders. In front of us a large flow of black and red lava inched along. The ground underneath was blazing hot. Of course, we had to pee on the lava (it´s a guy thing) and it evaporated instantly. Several times we could see molten lava through cracks as we walked along.
Unbelievable is the only way I can describe the experience. It was obviously very dangerous and there is now way this could ever happen in a more organized country.
On the way down it was dark so we stopped for a snack. One guy brought some marshmallows so we toasted them over the lava! I brought some meat wrapped in tin foil. Again, some molten lava near the surface provided a great stove. I don´t think I´ll ever get to use lava as oven again!
Finally, exhausted and exhilerated, we all made our way back down in the dark. As we looked over our shoulder we had spectacular views of the volcano and the many lava flows making their way down. The few of us crazy ones who went and played in the lava celebrated with beers back in the village. What a day, wow!
